Re: Multiple attackers, using their idea of what is happening against them

Quote:

Demetrio Cereijo wrote:

Regarding the unusual power of Ueshiba, Homma Gaku Sensei has an interesting explanation:

Speaking from experience, I can relate my feelings about being an uchideshi and uke to the Founder, Morihei Ueshiba. Perhaps only those students who actually practiced with the Founder will truly understand my feelings. As full-time students of the Founder, our respect for him was of course paramount. Especially towards the end of his life, if the Founder asked his students to "push against him as hard as they could", there was not one student among us who could do that. It was not that we were not able to physically push him, it was that we couldn't.

At the age of eighty-six, the Founder commanded so much respect for his life and accomplishments, that no student of any rank, even 7th or 8th dan, were able to breach this level of respect. Beyond the obvious differences in rank and experience, I feel this was part of the true "Ki" power the Founder possessed. It is understandable when looking at old photos of the Founder resisting the efforts of ten students pushing on his body to think it looks like magic. As one who was there, his power was derived from his presence, not from magic. At the height of his physical prowess, I have no doubt that he used technique to keep students from overpowering him. I attribute his powers at the age of 86 to real "Sensei power", the personal power he possessed after a life time of hardships and accomplishments. Not only in the world of Martial arts, leaders world --wide who have reached this level command this type of respect from those around them.

I have read Homma's stuff and agree that is probably what his perspective would have been from his experience later in Ueshiba's life. Other Uchideshi also talked about taking it easy on the old man later in his life as well, but none of that explains what was going on early in his life when non-students of other arts were amazed by his power - those people did not have any reason to hold back on anything. Ueshiba's peers during those early days such as Sagawa and Horikowa had the same reputation for unusual power.